Mission Health-HCA Deal

In February, Attorney General Josh Stein sent HCA Healthcare a letter requesting answers by this week about allegations the healthcare system is not following through agreements it made when the for-profit firm purchased Mission Health last year.

Those answers were due at the end of March – this past Tuesday. Stein says he has given HCA more time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina(CFWNC) has announced an Emergency and Disaster Response Fund to help nonprofit’s addressing issues impacted by COVID-19, as well as, relief efforts across the 18-county region.

The independent monitor overseeing HCA’s compliance with the agreements it made when it bought Mission Health has completed its round of public meetings. BPR’s Lilly Knoepp talked with Gibbins Advisor’s co-founder about what’s next:

During the first two months of this year, Gibbins Advisors held 7 public meetings in Mission Health’s service area. Ron Winters estimates over 600 people attended those meetings to share their experiences on how healthcare at Mission facilities has changed since HCA bought the health system in February of last year.

The Dogwood Heath Trust announced its first awards with money from the sale of Mission Health to for-profit HCA. Nearly 300 different nonprofits and government agencies received more than $3.7 million from Dogwood Health. The grants were spread across the entire 18 counties of Mission Health System's coverage area as well as the Qualla Boundary, according to Dogwood.

The meeting was held in the middle of a work day, something that frustrated the almost 50 people that gathered in Franklin to ask questions and air their concerns to Gibbins Advisors. Ron Winters is with the independent monitor overseeing HCA.

The independent monitor hired to ensure HCA Healthcare follows through on agreements it made when purchasing Mission Health held its first public meeting Tuesday evening. BPR was at the Cashiers-Glenville Rec Center, which was full of concerned residents.

Tom Urban and Ron Winters from Gibbins Advisors lead the discussion. Winters started out with the basics:

“Let me go into the commitments that HCA made under the asset purchase agreement. There are four big categories: Retaining services at the hospitals…”

Since Mission Health’s sale to for-profit HCA, the six local legacy foundations have given out about $12 million in grants to 169 organizations. Let's take a deeper look at the foundations and the organizations they funded:

In the great room of Wildcat Cliffs Country Club in Highlands, representatives from 26 organizations were welcomed by the Highlands-Cashiers Health Foundation:

“Good evening, it’s such an honor to welcome you all to our inaugural grant awards.”

Gateway Wellness Foundation announced it has awarded $550,000 in grant funding to local nonprofits. The legacy foundation is based in Marion. It previously supported Mission Hospital McDowell and now supports Burke, McDowell, Polk, and Rutherford Counties.

The independent monitor chosen to oversee HCA Healthcare’s operation of the Mission Health system has scheduled informational sessions across Western North Carolina. Gibbins Advisors was named the independent monitor at the end of October. Their role as independent monitor was a stipulation of Mission Health’s $1.5 billion sale to the for-profit hospital. The company is tasked with overseeing HCA’s compliance with the obligations it agreed to when it purchased Mission.

Dogwood Health Trust has announced that two Buncombe County board members have stepped down in accordance with a deal with the North Carolina Attorney General.

Dogwood Health Trust, the foundation created by Mission Health’s $1.5 billion sale to for-profit HCA, is following through on Attorney General Josh Stein’s stipulations of the deal. Dogwood agreed to the terms in a commitment letter.

The Nantahala Health Foundation has awarded its first round of grants. The Macon-County based foundation created out of the sale of Mission Health gave out almost $1.5 million to organizations in five counties and the Qualla Boundary. Lori Bailey has been the executive director of Nantahala Health since September.

Dogwood Health Trust has announced a new grant called Immediate Opportunities and Needs (ION). These grants will be one-time funding options for needs ranging from technology to consultants.

“The work of nonprofit organizations and government agencies is unpredictable – especially when dealing with factors that contribute to the overall health and wellness of people,” said Brian Myers, chief strategy officer for Dogwood Health Trust in a press release.

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein has approved Gibbins Advisors as the independent monitor of HCA Healthcare. The healthcare consulting firm based in White Plains, New York will be responsible for watching over HCA as outlined in the asset purchase agreement with Stein.

“That commitment to engaging with local communities, along with the monitor’s qualifications, led me to direct my office to consent to the selection of this monitor,” says Stein in a press release.

Leaders representing local nonprofits and community organizations packed a conference room at Southwestern Community College. Janice Brunmit, Chair of Dogwood Health Trust introduced the new CEO Antony Chaing.

Dogwood was established in February when private hospital giant HCA Healthcare bought the non-profit hospital Mission Health for $1.5 billion. The foundation is tasked with allocating profits from that sale to organizations across the 18 counties and the Qualla Boundary. Chaing says the aim is to improve public health.

As part of the sale of Mission Health to HCA, the for-profit health system promised to build a new hospital in Macon County. BPR talked to Angel Medical Center’s CEO about when ground will be broken for the new facility.

A new Angel Medical Center was in the works long before the HCA sale says CEO and CNO Karen Gorby.

Dogwood Health Trust, the nonprofit foundation created by the sale of Mission Health to for-profit HCA, has chosen its initial CEO.

Antony Chiang, president of Empire Health Foundation, has been chosen as the initial CEO of Dogwood. He has been president of he organization for the last nine years. It is similar to Dogwood but based in Spokane, Washington.

It’s been almost six months since Mission Health was sold to for-profit HCA Health. North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein visited two Mission Hospitals this week to see how the aftermath of the sale is transpiring. BPR caught up with him at Transylvania Regional Hospital in Brevard.

Jackson County resident and executive director of the Southwestern Commission Sarah Thompson is the newest member of the Dogwood Health Trust Board. Officially known as the Southwestern North Carolina Planning and Economic Development Commission, the regional council of government works with the seven westernmost counties on technical, economic and planning resources. “I think it's an incredible opportunity for all of WNC, and I'm thrilled to be able to bring my perspective on rural community and economic development to the board,” says Thompson in an email. Thompson is 14th member of

The sale of Mission Health System to HCA, created the Dogwood Health Trust. Mission Health has also announced the creatation of a foundation to specifically represent the six westernmost counties in NC.

Since the Mission Health-HCA sale officially closed, the charitable foundation created with the proceeds of the sale - Dogwood Health Trust - is now official too. While it will be the largest such foundation for Western North Carolina, it’s not the first created by the sale of a health system.

Today, Mission Health System has officially been purchased by for-profit hospital system HCA Healthcare for $1.5 billion dollars. The sale has been in negotiations since March 2018.

“We’re looking forward to investing in western North Carolina and helping ensure Mission Health’s 133-year tradition of caring for communities throughout the region continues for many years,” says Sam Hazen, CEO of HCA Healthcare in a press release.